(CNNMoney.com) – Never mind Joe the Plumber; meet John the Manufacturer. That's what President-elect Barack Obama will be doing Friday, when he stops in Ohio to pitch his $825 billion economic recovery and job creation package.

While in Bedford Heights, Ohio, Obama will be touring the Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Company, a local manufacturing company that supplies steel screws, washers and bolts to industries such as construction and mining. The company is a carefully chosen poster child for Obama's stimulus plans: While so many manufacturers struggle with slowing sales, Cardinal Fastener is growing and adding staff, thanks to its focus on the green energy industry.

"People call it the next automotive industry for the United States," said John Grabner, 56, president and owner of Cardinal.

soundoff(17 Responses)

People that don't see the potential in Obama's economic boosting criteria are either dimwitted, bigots, stubborn, or all of the above.

January 15, 2009 05:01 pm at 5:01 pm |

Rick in WA

What is "green" about the mining industry? Why would Obama use a successful, profitable company as an example of why we should give billions to those who are not? Instead, we should have Mr. Grabner consult for some of those failing companies to get them turned around.

January 15, 2009 05:01 pm at 5:01 pm |

Charlotte

Nice to hear that someone is keeping his head above water in this economy. Especially in Ohio, a rather hard-hit state!

January 15, 2009 05:08 pm at 5:08 pm |

MD

Wind energy does not work at the reliability levels people want. Solar works in the southwest US, not too much in the midwest and New England. Dems don't want coal and don't want to drill (bye-bye natural gas).

The result of the energy fallacy of the democrats and a large body of republicans will be in dramatically higher energy prices across the board.

January 15, 2009 05:22 pm at 5:22 pm |

Simmy

Great success to Joe-The-Manufacturer.
Much more refreshing to hear news about him than Joe-The-Plumber-Reporter-Standing-Out-In-The-Field-Dissing-Other-Reporters.

January 15, 2009 05:47 pm at 5:47 pm |

Amber

Why conservatives would stand against the green economy when it means small business, innovation, and jobs is beyond me...

... oh wait, that's right, it's because they get all their money from OIL.

January 15, 2009 05:47 pm at 5:47 pm |

malclave

Green energy? Who's he trying to kid?

I saw a report today predicting that the carbon footprint of the Inauguration will total well over 500 million tons.

January 15, 2009 05:49 pm at 5:49 pm |

Niky

Way to go!

January 15, 2009 05:51 pm at 5:51 pm |

Republicans = window lickers

Yeah its the next industry in line to be shipped to India cause some Retardlican thinks they can make more money. Hope is fading fast for the American worker unless you want to be a servant to some rich business owner who ships his jobs overseas.

January 15, 2009 06:19 pm at 6:19 pm |

pam Eugene OR

This is a great story and it give me hope! This is exactly why I voted for Obama.

January 15, 2009 06:44 pm at 6:44 pm |

Larry C. in Houston TX

Kraft Foods has several plants in Ohio / The Timken Bearing Company & a whole lot of other Huge Corporations that have dwindling employees, that they are currently laying off, and even closing some of these plants in Ohio.........they are also planning to ship those plants & Jobs overseas....It's too bad, and it's also pitiful....and Obama wants to sell his 850B Bailout plan to OHIO ???

He'd better go with a trillion, and make it even......

January 15, 2009 07:33 pm at 7:33 pm |

Larry C. in Houston TX

If He's Lucky enought to get it thru

January 15, 2009 07:33 pm at 7:33 pm |

Ted

Huh, let's hope he's right. Going green is the way to get out of this mess, glad to see that at least one US company is doing well!

January 15, 2009 07:34 pm at 7:34 pm |

paul (staunch Moderate)

My brother lost his job in a manufacturing plant that used to be located in Bedford Heights. You guessed it: The entire plant got moved overseas (S. Korea).

Hope this place stays where it is and keeps people employed! 'Course with this kind of exposure they'll have to keep a good face on.

January 15, 2009 07:48 pm at 7:48 pm |

EVOLVE

GO OBAMA - WE NEED ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND PROTECTIONS FROM THE RIGHT WING AND CORPORATION BEFORE WE ALL DIE.